Many types of signs and banners are known. Signs that are intended for outdoor use need to be able to withstand substantial wind forces. Feather banners are made with a flexible sheet material, such as cloth, mounted onto a flexible rod, which is secured to the ground at one point. These feather banners have a flexible rod on one elongated side and along part of the top side of the flexible sheet material, and the other elongated side is free to flap in the breeze. This has the advantage that the flapping movement attracts attention, but it has the disadvantage that the flat face of the banner does not always face in the same direction and is not always visible from the desired point. For example, the rod may swivel about its axis, which causes the banner to swivel, or the banner may swivel about the rod.
Other banners made of flexible sheet material have a generally rectangular shape and are securely anchored along both their left and right sides by rigid pipes or posts (and sometimes along their top side as well), so they always face in the desired direction. However, these banners do not last very long under outdoor conditions, because they receive the full force of, and are badly beaten by, the wind. The result is that the message or image on the banner becomes difficult to see, and becomes damaged and deteriorated, which gives a bad impression to the viewer over time. Sometimes, cuts are made through these banners to try to provide a relief from the force of the wind, but the cuts do not help solve the problem.